


Humans Are Friends, Not Fruit

by sleepyzz



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, and he is sick of being mistaken for one, brief markno if you squint, fruit bat!renjun, jeno is scared of everything, renjun is NOT a vampire contrary to popular belief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 05:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16469438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyzz/pseuds/sleepyzz
Summary: Renjun is tired of the stigma surrounding bats. He isn't a vampire, he's a fruit bat. There's adifference.





	Humans Are Friends, Not Fruit

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! i haven't posted anything for a few weeks and wanted to get something small done for halloween so here this is! it was really rushed and i'm not sure how good it is, but happy halloween nonetheless!

Jeno is _not_ scared. It’s what he tells himself in his head, a mantra chanted over and over again as he sits on a cold, marble bench, shrouded in darkness save for one lone lamppost flickering a few feet away from him. He glances around the vast field of tombstones and wilting flowers with antsy energy, crossing his arms over his chest as a harsh shiver runs down his spine. He’s adamant that it’s from the night air as a slight breeze rolls by, certainly not from him being afraid of sitting in a graveyard alone for a few measly minutes.

 

Jeno glances down at his phone, looks up and curses silently when he realizes it’s only been fifteen minutes. This is all Jaemin and Donghyuck’s fault.

 

The two trouble makers had somehow roped him into the game of truth or dare they had been playing in Jeno’s parents basement. Jeno had joined only for the sake of saving his ears from Donghyuck’s petulant whining about him being a killjoy. And, in typical killjoy fashion, picked truth thinking it would be the safer route. He should’ve known better though. Jaemin and Donghyuck always had a way of proving people wrong, and as Jaemin shot him one of his smirks that he knew all too well, Jeno knew he was doomed.

 

And so he found himself adamantly refusing to answer the question of who he had a crush on at their school. It would be too humiliating to confess that in front of his friends, and he knew they would never let him live it down. Not when it was the dorky senior class president the year above them that the other two always relentlessly made fun of _._

 

But of course the other two couldn’t let it go, so Jeno had to do a dare as punishment for his vow of silence. And thus, he ended up here. Having to sit in a graveyard alone in the dead of night for at least an hour without screaming and giving up, lest he’d have to fess up. He knew even before agreeing to it that he shouldn’t have taken the dare, but he had a crush he’d take to the grave (hah!) and an image to protect first.

 

He’s sure his friends probably thought he’d cave before agreeing to come out here. They knew him too well, know all about how Jeno is deathly afraid of the night and the things that possibly lurk about in it. Jaemin thinks he’s ridiculous, but Jeno’s sure Donghyuck would’ve hightailed it out of here in the first five minutes if he was in the same situation, so it makes him feel a bit better about himself. Even so, he was determined to sit out for the full hour to keep his lack of love life confidential.

 

It’s honestly not too bad after the first thirty minutes of initial anxiety. He’s calmed down substantially once he’s realized nothing’s out to get him, everything quiet save for the occasional rustle of wind kicking up leaves. But maybe he was too soon to think his safety had been secured.

 

There’s a different rustling from above that he knows isn’t leaves, a weird kind of flapping noise that has him suddenly on edge again. He tenses up, glances around frantically for the new source of sound. A flash of black in the sky catches his eye and Jeno jumps up faster than he has in his entire life. It’s only when he’s standing in his defensive stance does he discern that the black thing circling above is a bat.

 

And while bats can be harmless, Jeno doesn’t trust any black creature in flight in the middle of October. He’s seen enough scary movies to know what that means. Unblinkingly, he eyes the bat’s movements, watching as it flails about. A frown slowly overtakes his features the longer he stares at it, realizing the creature is floundering about because it’s struggling to keep itself up in the air. Eventually the bat seems like it gives up, spiraling downward straight into the brush a few feet away.

 

Jeno gasps, stomach dropping for a reason entirely unrelated to his fear. He rushes over to the bushes against his better judgement, his sympathy and compassion for animals outweighing his fear. Not all bats are probably blood-sucking demons in disguise, and he honestly doesn’t want the thing to be hurt if that’s the case.

 

Something trembles in the brush as he nears it, and at first he thinks it’s the bat struggling to find it’s way out from the branches and leaves- but then the _entire_ bush shakes, and Jeno knows it’s too much for one small bat to do.

 

All too quickly, before Jeno can even react in his frozen state, something trips and stumbles its way out of the greenery.

 

Jeno is taken aback, unsure how to handle the situation when what crawls out isn’t any of the deadly supernatural creatures or serial killers he expected. It's a guy, smaller than him in stature and around his age, dressed in dark skinny jeans and sneakers. His features are small and slender, complimented by the soft, honeyed color of his hair. He’s far too pretty in Jeno’s opinion. Which also means he looks nothing close to a vampire or anything of the likes. Still though, on guard, Jeno takes it with a grain of salt.

 

But then the guy is stumbling back and Jeno’s own hand betrays him to grab the male’s wrist to hold him up. Jeno’s heart nearly beats out of his chest realizing what he’s done- but it calms a fraction when he feels a warmth beneath his fingers. The guy is warm like he’s actually living, and it’s a small comfort to know he isn’t possibly interacting with the undead anymore.

 

“Are... are you okay?” He starts. Then, even more bewildered. “Why were you hiding in there?”

 

He watches cautiously as the male rubs his temples, brows pinched together in an emotion akin to pain. A growl sounding from his stomach soon follows.

 

“M'hungry...” The pretty male murmurs, not offering anything else.

 

Jeno, the poor sensitive soul he is, almost takes pity on him. But then, once he’s finally able to tear his eyes away from the male’s face, the gears in his brain start to turn. It’s strange that the smaller male is even out here to begin with, let alone in a bush… and looking for food in a graveyard of all places. The small comfort he had leaves entirely, replaced with another bout of panic. Hesitantly, he dares to ask the question he’s dreading to hear the answer to.

 

“Did.. did you see a bat in there?”

 

 

 

Renjun groans quietly as he shifts into his human form, rustling around in the brush he all but crash landed into in an attempt to make things easier for himself to escape what was a maze of branches seconds ago. He doesn’t expect for anyone to witness it, _because who in their right mind would be in a graveyard in the middle of night?_ , but things just don’t seem to want to go his way today. It’s honestly silly that he’s let himself get so hungry that he can’t even fly correctly (it wasn’t his fault he had _very_ important things to do, mind you) but it’s even sillier that he lets another person’s presence slip past his sonar senses.

 

He’s so disoriented from hunger and abruptly shifting that he’s unsteady on his feet. He nearly falls back into the brush, but then there’s a hand on his wrist, tugging him back up unexpectedly. A groan spills past his lips as he experiences near whiplash from the sudden pull, and he furrows his brows together in discomfort as it encourages another rumble from his belly.

 

It’s only when a voice cuts in, a “ _Did you see a bat in there?_ ” that Renjun actually realizes he isn’t alone and the hand that darted out to catch him was _not_ an illusion. It takes him a moment to gather his bearings, but once he does, he gets a good look at the guy in front of him. He’s taller than him with a solid frame, facial features distinct and angled while his hair is soft and messy. Renjun thinks he would be kind of cute... if he didn’t look seconds away from bolting. And once his question sinks in, Renjun is staring at the guy in front of him in disbelief instead. Renjun has honestly had enough for today. He’s tired, starving, and a bit cranky, so sue him if he lets it slip to a human that he’s supernatural instead of floundering for an excuse. The guy isn’t going to find a bat there anyways.

 

“I am the bat.”

 

“What?!” The taller male yelps at him.

 

Renjun’s stomach decides to growl again in that moment and he grimaces, scrunching his nose against the sensation.

 

 

 

Jeno stumbles back as if burned as the male in front of him bares his teeth, pearly whites glistening in the moonlight and directing Jeno’s attention to what should be normal teeth but instead are _fangs_.

 

“Don’t come near me!” Jeno’s voice pitches higher than usual as he scrambles to distance himself, heart pounding violently in his chest. And oh god, what if he can hear it? His blood is pumping faster and the vampire probably finds it even more appetizing now. Jeno isn’t ready to die yet.

 

Despite Jeno’s desperate screech, the creature does exactly what he tells him not to do and takes a step towards him with an unimpressed look. Like he’s inconvenienced by Jeno trying to get away. “I’m not a vampire. Is that what you think I am?”

 

That’s exactly what a vampire would say in this kind of situation. Jeno isn’t falling for it. “You are- I saw you change from a bat!”

 

“I’m a _fruit_ bat.”

 

Jeno falters at that, face twisting in confusion and disbelief. Sure he believes in a lot of things that nobody else does, but he’s not going to be made a fool out of before he dies.

 

Renjun sighs as he recognizes that look. Why does everyone always think only vampire bats shift?

 

“Why are you in a graveyard then?”

 

Renjun stares straight through him, deadpan. “Everyone is dead in a graveyard, why would vampires hang out here for fresh blood? I come here for the berries.”

 

That seems to put a halt to the human’s argument. “...What?”

 

“Yeah, there’s some really good ones that grow here in the fall.” He shrugs, no longer caring if the taller male actually believes what Renjun’s saying.

 

Sure enough, he doesn’t.

 

“I… I can’t trust you. You said you’re hungry, you’re probably just trying to lure me in as your next victim!”

 

He realizes then and there that there’s going to be no reasoning with the human. And he’s honestly too tired to keep holding such a frustrating conversation that he does the best thing he can think of to put an end to it.

 

“Yeah, you’re right. That’s _exactly_ what I’m doing.” Rejun dips his head in close, flashes his fangs for good measure to see what reaction he gets. If he can’t sway the male’s thoughts, he might as well live up to his expectations to scare him off.

 

All color drains from the human’s face as Renjun’s words sink in, and he nearly breaks character and laughs at it- but then the guy is swaying, eyes fluttering and _oh-_

 

Jeno faints.

 

 

 

Jeno wakes up disoriented and groggy. His head pounds as he shifts in bed, confused with how he got there in the first place. He doesn’t even remember coming to his room in the first place. Something does seem off about it though, he just can’t exactly pinpoint what as he’s shrouded in darkness. What he does remember is that he had a really weird and scary dream though- but he’s not able to ponder on it for too long when his ears pick up on a strangely wet and quiet suckling noise from the foot of the bed.

 

He frowns, furiously blinking until his eyes start to adjust to the darkness and he can find the source of the sound. Carefully, he lifts his head up, only to find a shadow looming over the end of his bed. He inhales sharply in fear, covering his mouth quickly to not attract the attention of _whatever_ is sitting on the edge of his bed.

 

HIs eyes fully adjust and the first thing he notices is there’s something oval shaped in it’s hand. And it doesn’t take Jeno long to come to the conclusion from the tufts of hair sprouting from the top of it that it’s a severed head. He watches, completely petrified as the shadow opens its mouth, a flash of fangs shimmering in the dark and _oh my god that wasn’t a dream earlier, I’m really about to die_ , before the creature’s fangs sink into the head. Blood spurts out of it in various directions, and Jeno can’t hold back any longer.

 

He takes in a deep breath, tightens his fingers in the sheets, and screams.

 

The figure jumps off the bed with a frightening amount of speed, but Jeno uses the small time frame he has to desperately search in his pockets for his phone, shaky hands fumbling in the dark as he turns on the flashlight to shine it in the monster’s direction.

 

It groans, throwing a hand up to shield itself from the light and backtracking away.

 

“That’s right!” Jeno cries out triumphantly, waving his phone around menacingly. “Stay away, I know your weakness-”

 

The lights cut on suddenly. Jeno squints against it, whipping his head around until they land on the culprit. Renjun glares at Jeno from where he’s standing by the lightswitch, pineapple in hand.

 

Jeno’s confidence falters. He could’ve sworn that vampires didn’t like light… Even if it wasn’t the sun, he thought for sure he’d still combust into dust somehow. That appears to be anything but the case though. He doesn’t dare blink or shift a muscle when Renjun steps closer.

 

“Jesus. I’m not going to eat you so stop staring at me like that.”

 

“Then explain why you have fangs?!”

 

“It’s so I can pierce the skin of fruit!” He scoffs, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Besides, if I really was going to suck your blood I would’ve done it while you were passed out.”

 

The guy has a point. Jeno doesn’t want to listen to it, he’s sure the supposed _fruit bat_ has his reasons for keeping him alive for now. He squints instead, eyeing the pineapple warily. “Can’t you just eat fruit normally like the rest of us?”

 

“What’s the fun in that? Plus, this is good for my teeth.”

 

There’s a silent pause after that. Jeno seems to be thinking hard about something.

 

“So you’re a _vegan_ vampire.”

 

Renjun looks up at the ceiling, takes in a slow and sharp breath before letting out the longest sigh he can muster. The human isn’t exactly the brightest, and Renjun can feel himself becoming increasingly prickly because of it. At this point in time, he’d honestly suck Jeno dry of blood right now if it didn’t repulse him so much. He fixes the other male with a pointed stare, but the male blinks at him with such wide-eyed, curious stupidity that Renjun tries to dampen down his thoughts of vampiric homicide. Instead, “What's your name?”

 

“Jeno.” The other male blurts out far too quickly. Renjun raises a brow at that, and Jeno at least has the courtesy to look embarrassed, cheeks draining of color as he raises a shaking finger directly in Renjun’s face.

 

“”You-” He crosses his other arm over his body defensively, obviously flustered as he squints at Renjun. “What are you doing? You’re doing something aren’t you?”

 

The aforementioned male merely blinks. “... _What_ are you talking about?”

 

“That thing vampires do!” Jeno spouts in a flurry, all too accusing as he wildly waves his hands about like Renjun would understand what the gesture meant. “Send signals to their prey to make them irresistible or something so they can lure them in!”

 

Jeno’s chest heaves like he’s run a marathon, breathes ragged and wild after his brief tangent. And Renjun should probably be a bit concerned that the male is about to faint on him all over again, but he can’t help to find his antics amusing this time despite his hatred of being mistaken as a vampire. He’s given up on Jeno believing him at this point.

 

Renjun tries for a disarming smile, though he does a bad job of it. His lips pull up too much at one corner, giving away his amusement over the situation now. “So, you think I’m irresistible?”

 

He watches as the color abruptly rushes back to Jeno’s face all at once. The male opens his mouth only to immediately close it again, presses his lips together in a thin line as he refuses to reply. Renjun’s smile only widens further, almost feral with the way his fangs peak out over his lower lip. A second passes like that, and another, until the human can’t take it anymore.

 

“Shut up!” He stutters out, throwing himself back down into the bed and dragging the sheets with him. The male pulls them over his head as he buries his face in the mattress, almost as if Renjun’s bed will save him from this mortifying experience.

 

“Just go away. Leave me to die here and you can have my blood after.” He bemoans, voice muffled into a pillow.

 

Renjun just stares at the lump in the middle of his bed for a few seconds before breaking the news to him. “You do realize this is my room, right?”

 

The lump of blankets stiffens. “Oh my god... I’m in your _lair_.”

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/spenaii).


End file.
